The Princess and I

Chapter IX: Set in motion

'I ask you both to stop this ludicrous behaviour,' I say for the last time. Both Christina and I are standing at the place, where Elias will try to defend my honour. It's almost sunset and the duel is about to take place. Of course I have made my arrangements, but first I want to give them both a chance to stop this ridiculous behaviour.

Elias looks to Liam, but he obviously doesn't know what we're up to either. Christina looks at me and squeezes my hand encouragingly. I know what she's trying to convey to me: Don't give up now. 'Elias, stop this madness. I am practically begging you.'

'He deserves to die for what he's done to you.'

Lord Harvey smiles menacingly. 'I did not do anything she did not want me to.'

Christina tenses at his words and before she can interfere as well on my behalf and hereby worsening the situation, I scream loudly: 'NOW!' At the same time both Elias and Lord Harvey raise their weapons and point them at each other.

I fear my call for help is lost in this violence, but then I hear running footsteps and suddenly we are all surrounded by a dozen policemen with raised weapons. Both Elias and Lord Harvey startle and put down their weapons. Christina pulls me away from the police force and asks me: 'Are you all right?'

'So far so good.'

Commissioner Jones nods his head at us in recognition and arrests Lord Harvey, who is yelling furiously: 'It was his fault. I was forced to accept.'

'Yes, son. And you can call me mint jelly.'

'I swear to God. It's all their fault. The Le Bons...' Commissioner Jones puts his hands behind his back roughly and cuffs him, which leads to a new torrent of protests by which he completely forgets to blackguard me and my family. In the end the commissioner leads him away and throws him in the police carriage.

Both Liam and Elias are cuffed as well, but they don't make a fuss about it. So, I can imagine Liam had come clean to Elias about what Christina and I had organised this afternoon. I can only hope Liam took care of that other matter as well. I try to catch his eyes, but he is caught up in the moment, so he doesn't notice it. Both my brother and Liam go quietly as they are put down in another black police car. I can see my brother's incredulous gaze through the bars though.

'I will come for you, brother,' I say almost silently, but I think Elias understands because he gives his head a quick nod.

As the police waggon drives away the commissioner comes to us. 'You did the right thing, Princess Arlington and Lady Le Bon. It's not for nothing that duelling is forbidden. It costs so many innocent lives.'

'It is our pleasure. Thank you for your help,' I say. 'Our family will be grateful for an eternity.'

'It is my duty, kind lady.'

'But our arrangement still stands, right?' Christina interferes. 'You let both my brother and the Viscount's son go with only a warning?'

'Yes, and Lord Harvey will be sent away to Australia to serve his sentence without further ado. Don't you worry, Princess. I will keep up my part of the deal as long as you and your brother keep up yours.'

Christina's jaw tightens. 'I will, commissioner.' I look at her distressed and she silences me by curling her long fingers around my wrist without anyone but me noticing it. She pinches me warningly and I keep quiet, though I definitely don't agree with their bargain at all. I desperately wanted to save Elias from his impending death, but not at Christina's cost. I truly hope Liam has achieved what we failed to achieve.

'Then I bid thee a good evening.' He gives his cap a tap in goodbye and then takes his horse and rides away. We quietly look after him, but then Christina summons her own mare with a whistle on her fingertips.

'Well, that went surprisingly well, I think,' she says as she mounts her horse. I smile at her shaking my head, when I see her once more sitting as a man with both of her legs on either side of her mare.

'Until this moment it did. But let's get both our brothers out of jail, before we celebrate.'

'I agree.' She holds out her hand and I almost took it, since I really enjoyed riding with her to the duel. But I must be the prudent one once again. I nod at my father's horse, on whose back Elias must have ridden to the duelling spot.

'I can't leave him.' I caress his soft nose and then mount Red Rover with his shining red brown skin. I proudly pat his neck and say: 'Come, let's get Elias.'

In the meantime Christina catches the reigns of Django, which she fastens on her own saddle. I envy her for riding like a man once again, since it feels so very different from riding ladylike. It is as if I could feel the horse better, when I rode like that. Every tightening of Christina's mare felt like it was I who tightened my muscles. It was an experience I would not soon forget. But my acting outrageously today was over, so I remain in my pose and follow Christina that way to the police station.

∞

After we fill in multiple administration forms Elias and Liam are both free to go, as long as they promise to refrain from duelling again. 'Yes, yes,' Elias had said. 'I have learnt my lesson.'

I ride back with him on Red Rover and I bury my face happily in Elias' cloak. This morning I never thought my brother would live to see another day. But God had been good to us. Lord Harvey was officially not a problem anymore and both Elias and Liam lived to see another day. Talking about a great new day's start! I feel drowsy, since I've been up all night hoping we did the right thing by bribing the police officer. But it seems commissioner Jones kept true to his words. I only hope that this bargain will not ruin Christina. I hope the Duke saved his sister from that as a thank you for all of our efforts.

We give our tired horses to our stable boy and enter Swanley Park via the sunroom at the southside of our mansion. Elias has his arm around me and we are talking merrily about last night's events. Because of our cheerful voices my father and mother run to us immediately and they embrace their son euphorically.

'I am so glad to see you, my boy,' my father says and he kisses Elias on his forehead. 'God has been good to us.' My mother clings to Elias and keeps overloading him with relieved kisses. Elias pats her back awkwardly and says: 'Mother, my friends are here. I still have to keep up a reputation. Especially, since I did overcome my insurmountable Death this morning.'

'I beg your forgiveness, my son. I just... I never thought I would see you again.'

'How did you manage to win, if I may ask?' My father asks as he guides us to the library, where we sit down and have breakfast together. I sit down in my favourite chair and close my eyes weary. The comforting smell of papans many books makes me at ease, which increases my weariness all the more.

'I didn't win.'

'Lord Harvey spared your life?'

'No, we didn't get the chance to fight. We just finished the pleasantries before a duel. You know bowing to one another and walking ten steps before shooting. At the moment when we were about to start shooting Elizabeth and Princess Arlington came riding down the duelling spot. I really feared Elizabeth would get herself killed, but she ordered us to stop. When we didn't, Elizabeth literally called the police. And they came and we got arrested for illegal duelling.' He then looks at us questioningly. 'But what happened then I am not entirely sure.'

I open one eye and say: 'Must you know? Will it not suffice that the Princess and I saved your hide this sunset?'

'No, I want to know how you arranged it, you little sneaky thing.' He smiles proudly though and I know that he likes to see me working out of my comfort zone. Elias isn't a total fool. He knows we made a deal and that's so unlike my normal composed behaviour that he loves me the most for it.

Christina smiles at me. 'You can have the honour. It was your acrimonious plan after all.'

I sigh. Sleeping has to wait after all. I take a wakening sip of my tea and then I begin our story.